MasukIvy POVI'd barely stepped foot back inside the house before Rosalie almost knocked me off my feet, launching herself at me and hugging me so tight I could scarcely breathe.Tears filled my eyes as I knelt and hugged her back, my throat tight. I'd missed her. God help me, I'd hated being separated from her for even a minute, but it had been necessary. It was late. The hospital had delayed my discharge, paperwork had gone missing, and every little thing that could go wrong had gone wrong. It was dinnertime, and I could smell the aroma of food, my mouth watering."Ivy," Maddox said, sounding surprised. "What are you doing back? I specifically..." He trailed off, his eyes dropping guiltily from mine. Realization dawned.This asshole was the reason my discharge had been delayed so long. I opened my mouth to use some very creative insults toward him when Rosalie tugged my hand, silently reminding me she was there.Lucky for Maddox, unlucky for me. I was going to have to bite my tongue
Third-person POVShe was pissed. How hard could it be to kill one lousy nanny? Once again, Celeste was left furious, her so-called hired assassin failing to get rid of Ivy. Not to mention, at the moment, she was alone in a hospital room, listening to the constant sounds of footsteps in the hallway and the murmuring of nurses in the corridors.She was not in a great mood.She slammed her phone on the bedside table, breathing heavily. She wanted to scream in frustration, but she held it in, as always. It wasn't ladylike to lose one's temper where somebody might hear it.She knew where Maddox had gone. He'd gone to play savior to Ivy, to check on her and forget all about his fiancée, who was currently alone and bored out of her mind.She lay on her side, facing the wall, an ominous expression on her face.The nurses tended to avoid her, disliking the way that Celeste ordered them around. Was it her fault if she was particular about how she wanted things? "Miss Celeste," a woman said qu
Maddox POVIt was past midnight when I received the phone call. Now I stood in the hospital, my look so dark that security flinched and the hospital director looked as though he'd rather be anywhere else than answer to me. "Explain," I said tersely, "explain how you failed to recognize a threat in your own hospital and how my daughter's nanny, somebody I care about, was almost killed as a result."The director shook in his boots."Alpha Maddox, we have no excuses. What happened is unacceptable. We've handed over all footage to your people and will, of course, cooperate with the investigation. The authorities have the surveillance as well."I said nothing. I was so angry that my wolf wanted to shift and tear the building into pieces."What about Celeste? Did anybody attempt to harm her?"The director shook his head immediately. "Both women are in a different wing. Your fiancée is perfectly fine. She has security guards that have been assigned to her. Nobody is getting in that room ex
Ivy POVMy mind was hazy. I lay in the hospital bed, hopped up on painkillers, and heavily bandaged. The pain was gone. In fact, I felt numb, which further cheered me. "Fucking Maddox. It's his fault I got shot," I mumbled. "If he hadn't made me come, I would be with Rosalie painting or running races. Asshole."A nurse came in to check my vitals.I barely noticed her.I was tired. I felt slightly heated but not enough to concern me. "Your vitals are stable," the nurse chirped, her tone pleasant, "that's a good sign. It means you're healing. You will be able to be discharged tomorrow if things continue to improve."She frowned."Unfortunately, you will still have a scar where the bullet pierced you. There's nothing that can be done about that."I waved a hand at her."It's okay. Just makes me look badass. Maybe I'll get a tattoo or something to cover it," I said consideringly, "something menacing."The nurse laughed."Maybe don't make that decision when you're under the influence of
Maddox POV"Maddox, I was so scared," Celeste sobbed, reaching out and grabbing my hand. "I thought we were all going to die. Thank god you protected us; we might not have survived otherwise."She was hooked up to an IV, her complexion pale, her hair loose and dishevelled, and her clothes rumpled. She was a pitiful sight.My thoughts went back to Ivy. "Ivy helped too. If she hadn't assisted, then in all likelihood they might have managed to get away with my daughter," I said darkly.Celeste looked away, eyes shimmering."Of course. We owe a lot to Ivy. I'm just so sorry about how useless I proved to be. I just froze," she hiccuped. "I just stood there like an idiot. I should have done more. I'm so ashamed."My eyes softened."You were scared. It's understandable. I don't blame you, Celeste. I'm grateful that everybody is alright."She gave me a tremulous smile."What did they want?" she whispered. "I don't understand why there was a sudden attack. It was almost like..." She paused an
Ivy POV"God, I'm bored," I moaned, uncaring that I sounded childish as Rosalie blinked up at me. "How long does it take to pick out a damn ring? Is she looking for a magical diamond or something? If that existed, then I would buy her one so that she turned into a damn lizard and slithered away."Rosalie grinned as we studied the display.I could tell she was growing restless. We stared at the shiny jewellery, but none of it appealed to either of us. For one embarrassing moment, I considered asking Rosalie to throw herself on the ground and kick her feet like she was throwing a tantrum to get out of this blasted shop.I'm not proud of that. Especially since I had my suspicions that she would have agreed to it. Then I would have looked like I was incompetent."Damnit, I swear to god, I'm about to break her finger," I muttered under my breath, "or set off the security alarm. Why has my bad luck failed me now?" I moaned, "Where is it when I need it?"Rosalie gripped my hand, letting o







